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The Americans with Disabilities Act put the spotlight on a group of people in the USA. This group now has a voice; a constituency that has come of age. This community votes, works and pays taxes.This blog is based on a N.Y. newspaper column I wrote for the Rockland County Journal-News from 1990-92.

"What I did on my summer vacation"

This blog wraps up summer here in Massachusetts, and marks
our first year as New England residents since leaving New York State. Photos taken by Maggie Sinocchi, unless noted.

After 35 years of paralysis due to spinal cord injury and a
work career of nearly 40 years, I have tried to live as “normally” as
possible. But living in an “ablebodied”
world has presented challenges and restrictions hindering full participation in
society for people like me. As you know, that’s what this blog is all about.

Because I put myself in situations or events where disabled
people are not expected or cannot participate due to physical limitations, I either
have a good time without incident, something unexpected happens, or I get into
trouble. This is the essence of living with a disabiliy.

So far, I have found Massachusetts mostly “pro-disabled”
and “disability friendly.” My disability
standards, however, are not as rigid as the Americans with Disabilities Act standards. I look for reasonable accessibility and common courtesy.

For example, if I can’t get into an establishment or folks are rude, I
take my money and that of my family and friends, and go elsewhere. I’ll also
file complaints with the Massachusetts
Office on Disability if establishments are non-compliant, if they discriminate, or demonstrate rude and obnoxious behavior.

A good barometer of being “disability friendly” is, for example, when automobile drivers are courteous as I attempt to cross
streets where I live or visit. "Hey, this is a
big deal for me. Try doing that in New
York’s midtown Manhattan!"

By courteous. I mean drivers stop when they see me waiting
at a crosswalk (with or without Veronica, my service dog) and allow me to
wheel my power chair across the street.

And, the movie theaters in the towns of Hanover and Kingston, Massachusetts,
are quite good. I have yet to be turned away from any establishment in this State
due to my disability.

When
you can’t walk on water roll on sand

Riis Beach, from Yelp

Many of the beaches I visited this year, about a dozen, are
fairly accessible and allow me to enjoy the venues to the extent I can. They all fall short of allowing me to wear my
“Speedo” as I did when I was a 17-year-old surf guard at Riis Park Beach in Rockaway,
Queens, New York. But, unfortunately, I can no
longer wear my 30-inch waist Speedo anyway, so that’s a moot point.

Nantasket Beach

Many of the pedestrian crosswalks, walkways and sidewalks,
however, need repair or regular maintenance. I was able to overcome many of the
obstacles presented as I traveled with my wife because I use a power wheelchair
and she guided me over rough terrain.
Non-power or “push” wheelchair riders would face more difficult
challenges given water damage to asphalt walkways, “broken ramps,” and very
bumpy terrain.

Scusset
Beach, which is on the northern side of the Sagamore Bridge as
you head to Cape Cod, had an impressive wooden boardwalk that transversed
a sand dune to the beach and shoreline.

Beach wheelchair behind guard tower at Scusset beach.

Once over the top, a wooden-planked seating area is set
aside for wheelchair riders. This section had me less than 1,000 feet from the
water. From here, a “beach wheelchair”
is made available by the State of Massachusetts for those who can transfer onto
the chair, with assistance, and then be able to sit on the beach or venture
to the shoreline.

Sitting in the wheelchair section at Scusset beach , I still scan the water as I did when I was a lifeguard at Riis Park Beach, in New York.

The
horse with no name

In late August, on our way back from Wollaston Beach in
Quincy, which is just south of Boston, we stopped at Briggs Stable, a working farm for
more than 100 years. The farm was hosting an equestrian event that
evening. The Briggs farm billed this event as a “Mini Show.”

Horses and riders were impressive. Photo from Briggs website.

I had never witnessed this type of event first-hand. The
farm was just a mile away from my condo, so we decided to drive in and have a
look.

Because we were on a ranch, with no designated parking
spaces, we pulled up alongside side some pickup trucks and their respective
horse trailers. Others did the same. We watched as some riders mounted and rode
their horses to the exhibition area.

This seemed to be a women’s
equestrian event, and the riders ranged in age from under just under 10
years of age to adult. Surprisingly, I was certain I saw a rider with down syndrome
- - my eyes teared up with emotion. I was impressed that the disabled were afforded the opportunity to ride.

My wife asked me if I wanted to get out of the van. I
looked at her as a New York City boy would, and said, “No, I don’t want the wheelchair
to spook the horses, ruin the show and kick me on my head.” Maggie laughed.

Taken from our iphone at Briggs Stable.

I soon realized that some of these trailers had not
finished unloading their horses, and I suggested we move the van. I was getting
nervous. “But we have a good spot,” she said. I nodded tentatively.

Illustration of unloading (bitsandbytesfarm, web).

We sat a few minutes more and watched three young women unload a beautiful black horse out of the trailer on the driver’s side of my van. I
couldn’t take my eyes off the huge tail and the horse's “ass,” its tail swaying.

As the horse backed down the short ramp, it turned its head
toward us, and bucked, kicking the front of my silver Toyota van with its legs.

We were both startled and jumped in our seats.The women quickly calmed the horse down, and apologized.
They also offered to cover the slight damage. We declined the offer and left the
event. We figured the mare was just "horsing around."

Newport Vineyards

Maggie and I visited the vineyards and enjoyed a couple of glasses of wine. I also bought a bottle of "Port" and brought it home.

After the Cliff Walk tour, mentioned above, we visited the Newport Vineyards, whichwas originally planted in 1977 on a
hill overlooking Rhode Island Sound.

I bought a bottle of port.

Since the original plantings in the 1970s, the vineyards, under the ownership of John
and Paul Nunes, has grown to 60 acres.The vineyards, in addition to fine wine, now house the Brix Restaurant, The Marketplace, the addition
of Fatulli's Bakery & Deli, a new Tasting Room and Tank Room.

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Jim Sinocchi is Head of the global Office of Disability Inclusion at JPMorgan Chase. He works closely with senior leaders across the firm to establish consistent standards and processes to better support employees with disabilities.
Sinocchi joined the firm in 2016 to head the newly established office. He currently serves as a board member of the Viscardi Center’s Board of Directors Inc., a K-12 school in New York for severely disabled students affiliated with The Viscardi School; United Spinal Association, a nonprofit that seeks to enhance the quality of life for people living with spinal cord injuries and disorders; and RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities for individuals with disabilities.
Sinocchi received an MA in Public Administration from New York University and a BA from Colgate University.